Top 10 SEO Errors and Solutions

Top 10 SEO Errors and Solutions

In coming to terms with the search engine revolution of machine learning and the mobile index, businesses remain stuck in the mud with old “black hat” practices of link building and broad match keyword research.

The sheer competition among today’s SEO practitioners is impossible to ignore for small businesses competing against established brands. It used to be that websites could simply insert a keyword into their title tag, write some irrelevant content, and watch the traffic flow to their website. Search engines are vastly more intelligent than the websites they index–following search engine signals is a must.

If your website is struggling to stay competitive within the search marketing sphere, let this be a checklist of the potential website SEO errors. Anyone of these commonly overlooked mistakes could drastically affect your website’s rankings, traffic, and conversion rate, marking up your SEO campaign as a lost investment. Avoiding these pitfalls will give your content the best chance possible at ranking high and gathering quality links.

Inefficient Keyword Strategy

Keywords are the foundation in which search engines are able to match your content to user intent. The most common mistake businesses commit in this game is competing for the wrong keywords. Your content is already peppered with the keywords of products, information, or services you wish to market to customers. Finding and choosing the right keywords are the challenges.

Before undertaking any content marketing campaign it’s important to consult keyword softwares, such as Google AdWords Keyword Planner or SEMrush to discover keywords that are easy to rank for and match your content topic. Competing for broad keywords will yield increased traffic to your website, but they don’t necessarily result in conversions. Most likely, if your business offers specialized services you will want to compete for long-tail keywords that are specific to user intent and replicate natural speech.

Consult your analytics software to see which keywords are driving conversions for your website. Avoid keyword stuffing and bidding on highly competitive, broad match keywords that are dominated by established brands. Most likely keywords which don’t drive as much traffic, but rank higher can drive more conversions because they are more specific to user intent.

Duplicate Content

In terms of on-site errors, duplicate content is the most common mistake for any website. Duplicate content can come as the result of creating a printer friendly copy of your webpage, inserting blog tags, hosting syndicated RSS feeds, or URL parameters that create duplicate copies of a link. Google clusters all duplicate links and takes each of the internal signals contained within this cluster and assigns these signals to one URL. That is the URL is indexes and ranks.

Within Google Search Console, users can adjust URL parameters to set the preferred domain and URL users wish to be indexed. 301 redirects can also be inserted on duplicate links to point them to a specific link. It’s important that you insert a “rel=canonical” tag on all duplicate links in order to still obtain all of the internal signals contained on these webpages. If not, you could potentially disavow any external or internal links that point back to a duplicate link.

Terrible Mobile Experience

With the construction of Google’s preferred mobile index, creating a high-speed and valued mobile experience is more important than a desktop experience. Slow load times caused by image rendering and long-scroll content will increase your bounce rate. While creating a mobile domain for your website can alleviate some of these concerns it could potentially split your link equity, consume more resources, and divert traffic from the original URL.

In 2017 your website should offer mobile experience in the form of an AMP, Progressive Web App, or utilize responsive design to offer the same experience as a desktop device. The cheapest option may be enabling responsive design across your domain so that all of the secondary signals will still be identified by search engines. It’s important to discern that mobile content should generally be shorter, more concise and that CTAs are visible and easy to press on tinier screens.

Poor Linking Quality

Businesses often fall for the idea that link quantity trumps link quality. It does not and with Google’s Penguin update, suspicious linking practices will result in major penalties for your domain. Producing quality links from authoritative websites will boost your rankings far more than several irrelevant links.

Seeking to gather quality links for your content? Produce content that is worth linking to and consider marketing your content to trusted websites to create a linking exchange. Continually assess all of your external links as some will become outdated, broken, or you might even discover that they were irrelevant when you first inserted them.

Bad Sitemap

While many website owners may view a sitemap as outdated technology, it’s an effective way in helping search engines to crawl your website and identify your domain authority scale. A good sitemap will also alert search engines to any immediate changes to your website and will increase the speed in which webpages can be indexed. A bad sitemap could cause crawling issues for your website and will affect your rankings.

Consult Google Search Console to check for any sitemap issues, such as routing and link errors, that could be affecting your site indexation. Setting up a quality sitemap will also help establish your site’s information architecture and guide your internal linking strategy.

Didn’t Optimize for Local Search

The most common local SEO mistake businesses suffer from is a lack of location specific webpages. Search engines are becoming more capable of identifying local search intent. Providing separate copies of webpages with location specific information can help you improve your CTR and make it easier for consumers to contact you. Businesses should be registered on all local directories and keep active Facebook, Yelp, Foursquare, and Google profiles in order to leverage local search and respond to user comments.

Take advantage of Structured Data Markup, which organizes your rich snippets. This will allow your business to advertise for upcoming events and take advantage of sitelink extensions for specific user searches. Optimizing for local search will gather the right kind of traffic that drives conversions.

Slow Page Load

Page load speed has a major impact on rankings and user experience. A majority of clicks will bounce from a website that does not load in under 3 seconds. If your website contains a lot of images, videos, CSS, JavaScript, or uses Flash, than it could encounter slow page loads. Be sure to optimize all on-page elements and files for optimal speeds and consult Google’s own PageSpeed Tools to make sure your website is operating at tip top efficiency. It may be ideal to strip out some of these elements if they are affecting page speeds. If your website conducts a web hosting service, consider moving it to a dedicated server for optimal page speeds.

Poor Meta Data

Meta data is crucial in gathering CTR. Often times websites will place their website name in each of their title tags, which limits your ability to rank for specific keywords. Title tags should be optimized with a specific keyword at the beginning of the title followed by relevant information. Truncated title tags, title tags without content titles, or even irrelevant title tag keywords will affect your rankings. Title tags are not only the clickable link that users see first within a SERP, but it’s also the title that will appear in a link, which is shared or bookmarked.

Meta descriptions are important to businesses because they attempt to persuade users to click through to your SERP listing. A concise and persuasive meta description will go a long way in increasing your CTR. Go through all of the snippets you’ve optimized for your content and consider rewriting them for webpages that are not creating conversions or have a high CTR percentage.

Not Utilizing Correct Anchor Text in Hyperlinks

It’s certain that you’ve read an article that said click here for more information. This is a widely missed opportunity for websites and it equally hurts the websites these are linking to. Anchor text represents a a hyperlink through the use of a specific keyword. This gives users a general understanding of what they are clicking to and what the topic of the content centers around. Anchor text is instrumentally important in helping search engines identify the keywords you are trying to rank for and will help in indexing these links based on their topical relevance.

Some websites also use the same anchor text for each of their hyperlinks which is just as wasteful. Be sure to mix up your hyperlinks with different anchor text in order to help your links rank for a basket of different keywords. This will help increase their potential visitor traffic. Anchor text is also a good way to establish your own information architecture, separating internal links based on their keyword topics.

Redirect Misuse

Multiple 301 redirects to a particular URL can signal a coding error for search engines and could lead to a potential loop in your URL structure. Website operators should also be weary of using robots.txt files in order to prevent indexation errors. Robots files can be used to prevent spammers from accessing pertinent information and duplicate content you don’t want found. Unfortunately, redirect misuse could disavow all internal signals contained on these webpages and cause massive indexation errors for your site.

Assess all redirects you have in place and consult Google Search Console to set up appropriate URL parameters. If you’ve ever rebuilt your site, chances are there is a 404 error hidden within your site that needs to be redirected to a relevant webpage. Be sure that any internal links contained on robots.txt files are not entirely disavowed and be sure there is a structure in place to still get these pages indexed.

Brian Reese– Paid Media Associate

Brian has a business degree in Marketing & Management from Penn State University. His digital marketing career began with an internship at LSEO in his senior year, where he learned the ropes of SEO and Paid Media. After graduation, Brian was brought onto the LSEO team to further the growth of the Paid Media Department. Brian has a strong background in leadership and team growth from his over 5 years of head coaching a high school volleyball team.

Hector E. De Los Santos Maria – SEO Associate

Hector is originally from the Dominican Republic. He studied Graphic Design at a private university called APEC, before relocating to Pittsburgh to study Game Art & Design at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. After his time in Pittsburgh, Hector moved to NEPA and graduated from Luzerne County Community College in 2011 with a degree in Commercial Art and a concentration in Painting and Illustration.

Hector has taught himself HTML and CSS through several online sources, and in the past few year has become interested in digital marketing, specifically e-commerce and SEO.

Hector is interested technology and has a background in network administration and computer repair. He is also proficient in Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Premiere Pro and Pro Tools. In his spare time, Hector enjoys drawing and playing guitar.

Mark Dymond – Head of PPC

Mark Dymond has a degree in Business Marketing / Management from Pennsylvania State University and graduated top in his class. Originally a part of the internship program, Mark was brought on board to expand the Paid Media department. He’s extremely active in finding the best information and tactics on PPC campaigns and has extensive experience with online marketing channels like Facebook, Google, Bing, etc. Throughout his career, Mark has done digital marketing work for several entities, such as The Pennsylvania State University.

Pat Mineo – Head of Design & Development

Pat is LSEO’s Head of Web Design. After graduating from Marywood University in 2015 with a Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design, Pat begin working with LSEO to integrate design into the digital marketing space by creating effective user experiences that drive results for businesses of all sizes.

Passionate about the latest design trends, Pat has worked with businesses from all over the country, in both digital and print mediums. How users and customers interact with a brand and their products is truly what drives Pat's enthusiasm for creativity.

Outside of LSEO, Pat works closely with a number of area non-profits, elevating their fundraising efforts through effective branding and digital experiences. Pat has taken Silver in the 2015 American Advertising Awards in 2015, and when he's not creating, he's enjoying his family and friends, traveling, and following his favorite sports teams closely.

Kyle Kozie – Head of SEO

Kyle has obtained a Business degree with a focus in Marketing and Management from Penn State University. While interning during his time at Penn State, Kyle gained a passion for SEO and Digital Marketing and has been in the industry ever since. His primary focus has been on managing both large and small clients in the e-commerce space, which has given him the knowledge and experience to become an organic search expert. Kyle has a drive to develop strong client relationships and deliver top notch results. He does this by staying on top of industry trends and holding many digital marketing certifications. Kyle also comes with a strong technical SEO background that he can help clients deploy.

In his free time, Kyle enjoys working out with a focus on Powerlifting and Crossfit, where he competes locally and at the regional level. When he is not doing SEO or in the gym, he is doing his favorite thing in the world, playing with his Australian Shepherd, Blake.

Jade Matusick – Content Marketing Specialist

Jade graduated from Susquehanna University with a B.A. in Creative Writing. While in college, Jade was involved in several small press publications reviewing literature, art, and photography submissions. While she has a lifelong love of writing and reading fiction, she is always looking for opportunities to expand her writing skills and try different genres. Never without a book, Jade aspires to one day publish a novel of her own one day.

Jade is a self-proclaimed expert on the royal family and romantic comedies. She also checks her horoscope daily in hopes that it will give her some guidance.

Darcy Huff – SEO Account Strategist

Darcy joins the LSEO team as an SEO Account Strategist. With the original intent of pursuing a career in graphic design, she developed a passion for online marketing while taking on her first SEO role at Web.com in 2015. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Design & Media Art with a minor in Marketing from Wilkes University.

When she’s not at work, Darcy can be found at the cinema or theater, discovering NEPA’s restaurants and breweries, or taking a day trip to New York City. She also spends her time doing freelance design, birdwatching, and relaxing with her dog, Mandy.

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Jack Trapani – Paid Media Specialist

Jack holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Media Management from Marywood University. His career in marketing began with internships at local publications and advertising agencies.

His previous roles include working at a private community as the Direct of Marketing and Media as well as various advertising agencies as a Pay-Per-Click Account Manager. He joins the LSEO team as a Paid Media Specialist.

In his free time, he volunteers with several non-profits which benefits various causes such as the local Boys and Girls Club. He also completes service projects throughout the year.

Teara Keller – Head of Web Development

Teara hails from the Maryland side of the D.C. Metro Area. So yes, she hold strong feelings about seafood and Old Bay Seasoning. She holds a BS in Web Development and Design from Southern New Hampshire University, and will begin working towards her MS in Digital Marketing this coming fall. She brings a unique approach to web development and ux design, having always been fascinated with the psychology that goes into how users interact with websites, while also keeping the technical side of SEO in mind as she works with clients to improve their websites to further optimize their web presence. She is also a member of three national collegiate honors societies, Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Mu Gamma, and The National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

When she isn’t nerding out over UX trends and new JS libraries, she’s Co-Chair of the POC Committee for Queer NEPA, a speaker at their Pride Series in June, and devoted wife and mother. She loves finding new places to eat, traveling, and quiet weekends spent vegging at home on the couch watching documentaries on Netflix. She also has an extensive collection of Funko Pops and Meryl Streep movies that she is quite proud of.

John Meholic – SEO Manager & SEO Expert

John holds a degree in English Education and Philosophy from the College of Arts and Sciences at Misericordia University. Originally graduating with the dream of one day becoming a professor and writer, he fell deeply in love with the digital marketing world in 2014, working for companies such as Web.com, Net Driven, and Pepperjam.

With a diverse background in search engine optimization, paid search, affiliate marketing, as well as teaching, John has the knowledge, dedication, and discipline to craft and implement technical and creative marketing strategies for online businesses.
When John isn’t staying up-to-date on the latest SEO news and continuing to earn industry certifications, he likes to spend his time exploring various large cities across the US, going to shows, watching movies with friends and family, and drinking coffee. Although John dedicates a large portion of his time to developing his technical SEO skills, he can’t seem to shake his childhood obsession with becoming a living, breathing encyclopedia of underground and alternative music.

Brianna Redding – Content Marketing Specialist & Intern Coordinator

Brianna is a NEPA native who relocated to Philadelphia after studying Journalism at Luzerne County Community College. While living in Philly, she did freelance work for several online music publications, which gave her the opportunity to see some of her favorite bands perform live.

Brianna moved back to NEPA in 2017 and now holds a position at LSEO as a Content Marketing Specialist and Intern Coordinator. Brianna enjoys writing and feels that her love of reading has helped improve her writing over the years. Brianna is also passionate about the internship program at LSEO and loves meeting the talented students that walk through the doors each semester.

In her free time, Brianna can be found thrift shopping, taking photos of her friends on her film camera (her prized possession), and cooking delicious plant-based meals. She’s also a big sister to two dogs, Bernie and Buster, whom she loves dearly.

Jessica Spear – Head of Client Strategy

From complex math to managing budgets, Jessica is a project management expert with experience handling numerous brands at one time and an ability to deliver quality results. Whether she’s launching a website, setting up analytics or simply keeping things on track, Jessica takes pride in getting things done ahead of schedule, a quality that has helped her throughout her 10+ years in digital marketing. Jessica has leveraged her skills when helping found East Coast Paws, which now has over 5,000 members.

In her free time, Jessica likes to stay up-to-date on industry news, cooking, watching documentaries, and recently discovered a skill for refinishing furniture. Jessica was also on the swim team during her time at Drexel University, where she studied engineering.

Eric Adamczyk – SEO Specialist

Eric Adamczyk graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Marketing & Management from Penn State. During his four years at Penn State, Eric was a member of the school’s Blue & White Society, networking with alumni and participating in community events.

Before gaining full-time status at LSEO, Eric spent a semester interning with the company and worked with the SEO team to expand his knowledge of digital marketing. Eric likes to keep himself up-to-date with the latest SEO trends and further his knowledge of what’s changing in the industry.

In his free time, Eric is an avid sports fan who enjoys watching just about any game, including baseball, football, hockey and basketball. When he’s not watching his favorite teams play, he can be found on a golf course or coaching his youth travel basketball team.

Lindsey Matylewicz – PPC Specialist

Lindsey holds an MA in communication arts from Marywood University, focusing in media production and management. She’s current on the latest best practices and trends for pay-per-click advertising and has taken on a role at LSEO as a paid media associate. In her spare time she enjoys reading and writing short stories. She nerds out about comedy and participates in theater, improv, and sketch groups in the area. She also loves hiking, coffee, and her lovely pup, Gus.

Jeanne Laktash – Content Marketing Specialist

Jeanne Laktash is a professional wordsmith and well-known Type-A personality (or, as she’s known around the office, Content Marketing Specialist). Jeanne has enjoyed a passion for writing since she was a child, often saying she wanted to be a variety of things when she grew up, always coming back to writing. This led her to pursue the study of communications, earning both Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Communication Arts from Marywood University.

Jeanne has worked in marketing since 2008, eventually crossing into the digital marketing field in 2014. Throughout her career, she has worked for prominent NEPA organizations, including the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, Keystone Automotive, and Net Driven, crafting dynamic, engaging content to drive leads. Jeanne stays up to date on the latest digital marketing and content trends by reading industry blogs and immersing herself in information.

When she’s not crafting content for LSEO’s many clients, she enjoys spending time with her husband Nick and daughter Kateri, listening to music, cooking interesting meals, sampling different craft beer, snuggling her German Shepherd Samson (who thinks he’s a lap dog) and rooting for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, for whom she has been a season ticket holder since 2007.

Jeff Miro – SEM Specialist

Jeff has a degree in communications from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA. After starting out at the The Times Leader as a sports writer, Jeff began his career in the online marketing industry in 2007, working for Pepperjam. He has experience in paid search marketing and content writing, but his specialty for the past 11 years has been in search engine optimization. He is enthusiastic about delivering tangible results, and increased conversions and traffic for clients.

Jeff likes to stay current on SEO trends and Internet marketing news, and in his spare time loves to work out and read about nutrition, fitness, and health-related topics. He also likes listening to music, going to shows, hanging out with friends, and watching Seinfeld and The Office.

James Neff – Head of Content

James has worked in the digital marketing industry for a few years now, publishing thousands of articles along the way. Being a well rounded writer provides an excellent advantage to the content marketing field. James is a lifetime member of the forensics fraternity Pi Kappa Delta and has been an active freelance writer for SEM firms and news organization since college. James graduated with a Communications BA from Keystone College, specializing in Journalism.

Unlike most content marketers, James can assist in everything from a technical audit to keyword research. James loves his work and he has a passion for writing and reading. On his off-days, James enjoys watching sports and going to concerts.

Chad Mummert – Director of Business Development

Chad has over 15 years experience in Sales, Marketing, and Advertising with degrees in Audio Engineering and Advertising. Chad’s main focus and passion for 8+ years has been Branding and Online Marketing. His broad range of capabilities brings diversity to our team with skill-sets in Audio Production, Video Production, Graphic Design, SEO, PPC and Social Media. Chad has consulted hundreds of businesses in nearly every market vertical and is focused on a positive customer impact for his clients.

When Chad isn’t obsessing over new market trends he is most likely writing and recording music. A Multi-Instrumentalist since the age of 6 years old, he attributes his creativity and out-of-the-box thinking to his life long dedication of exploring musical boundaries. He also loves skiing, mountain biking, hiking, riding his ATV and pretty much anything else the mountains of Pennsylvania has to offer.

Kristopher Jones – Founder/CEO

Kris is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, best-selling author, accomplished public speaker and dedicated philanthropist. In 1999, Kris founded Pepperjam, a full-service internet marketing agency and affiliate network which was recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in America three times before being sold to eBay Enterprise in 2009.

After the sale of Pepperjam, Kris founded KBJ Capital, an early stage technology angel investment fund which has raised over $35 million of funding and has a robust portfolio of 15 companies including French Girls App, LSEO.com, Yumm.com, LavCup, APPEK Mobile Apps, VigLink, Pathmapp, Highlighter.com, ReferLocal.com and more. Author of the best-selling book “Search-Engine Optimization: Your Visual Blueprint to Effective Internet Marketing”, Kris’ articles regularly appear in premium publications like Forbes, Inc. and Fast Company.

He is also a frequent keynote speaker at prestigious conferences and universities worldwide in addition to sitting on the boards of several non-profit and educational organizations. Learn more about Kris at www.krisjones.com

Chris Nash – President

Chris Nash is an Internet and SEO marketing expert, e-commerce veteran, and entrepreneur with over 20 years of digital, web, and sales experience. He co-founded the second largest retail and e-commerce dancewear company, AllAboutDance.com, in 1999, acquired a major competitor in 2008, and sold the business in 2010 to the world’s largest online discount dance wear retailer.

Chris is currently utilizing his proven experience in digital marketing, SEO, and e-commerce across a variety of internet based companies. His experience has also drawn him toward professional photography where he has often focused on dance, movement and the performing arts. As a graduate of Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, Chris brings an international perspective to his work having literally worked and traveled around the world through the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship on a global technology research project.

Chris has co-founded or invested in a number of start-ups and other businesses including MaxxBench.com – an innovative fitness equipment company that is changing the way we work out, and AutomateAds.com – a software driven company that automates, optimizes, and unifies cross-channel digital advertising.

Chris joins LSEO.com as President and is excited to bring his decades of experience to one of the fastest growing SEO and digital marketing agencies on the planet. It’s a digital match made in heaven.

Hector De Los Santos – SEO Specialist

Kris is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, best-selling author, accomplished public speaker and dedicated philanthropist. In 1999, Kris founded Pepperjam, a full-service internet marketing agency and affiliate network which was recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in America three times before being sold to eBay Enterprise in 2009.

After the sale of Pepperjam, Kris founded KBJ Capital, an early stage technology angel investment fund which has raised over $35 million of funding and has a robust portfolio of 15 companies including French Girls App, LSEO.com, Yumm.com, LavCup, APPEK Mobile Apps, VigLink, Pathmapp, Highlighter.com, ReferLocal.com and more. Author of the best-selling book “Search-Engine Optimization: Your Visual Blueprint to Effective Internet Marketing”, Kris’ articles regularly appear in premium publications like Forbes, Inc. and Fast Company.

He is also a frequent keynote speaker at prestigious conferences and universities worldwide in addition to sitting on the boards of several non-profit and educational organizations. Learn more about Kris at www.krisjones.com/